The Advocacy Institute supports social justice organizations to build the advocacy skills, knowledge and power they need to shape government policy for a more just and equitable New York. We envision governments at all levels that are accessible, transparent, and accountable to those directly impacted by injustice, especially communities of color.
Are you working on a New York State policy or budget advocacy campaign and want to deepen your strategy and skills? Are you looking to build knowledge and power with other movement leaders and join a growing community of advocates?
Advocacy Institute invites you to apply for the Advocacy Leadership Accelerator, a 10-month program that expands advocacy skills, capacity, and leadership for up to 20 emerging organizers and advocates across New York State. This program will be held from September 2025 through June 2026, designed to prepare advocates for the legislative session and provide support throughout. We will build on Advocacy Institute’s proven Legislative Campaign Assessment and Tracking Tool (LCATT) curriculum while digging deeper into campaign strategy.
This program centers an intersectional and racial equity lens to examine how multiple forms of oppression combine to impact advocates’ ability to affect policy change. The Advocacy Leadership Accelerator is grounded in the work of participants and our sessions will allow advocates to reflect on challenges they are facing while brainstorming strategies to address those challenges with their peers.
Applications for this program are now closed.
Participating in the Advocacy Leadership Accelerator is an exciting leadership opportunity to:
This program is designed for advocates and organizers with some experience doing state-level advocacy campaigns, from organizations that will have a state-level campaign in the 2026 session in Albany.
The Advocacy Leadership Accelerator might be a good fit if you…
The Advocacy Leadership Accelerator might be a good fit for organizations that…
The Advocacy Leadership Accelerator will accept one person per organization. Two people from the same organization may apply if they are based in different regions, and one will be placed on a waiting list, to be admitted if space is available. We are explicitly looking to recruit people of color, queer folks, people of varying abilities, and gender nonconforming people to deepen their skills and leadership in legislative advocacy.
Briana Carbajal, WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “It feels like the ALA is in your corner and is one of your biggest champions as you navigate the complexities of being a policy leader in the state legislature. Having that support system of other advocates to lean on, consulting office hours if you have any seemingly silly questions, and the webinars to continue your learnings about the inner workings of Albany are all tools that make a huge difference to a beginner trying to muscle their way through this space…So it definitely has improved my confidence as a policy advocate.” You can read more about Briana’s experience with the ALA in this case study.
Roxana Siaca, Worker Justice Center of New York. “What it means to have a winnable campaign, to have winnable goals: this is probably the biggest takeaway from the program for me. Knowing I can take a chunk off at a time and make this work less daunting…I participate in a few different policy tables where the federal landscape is starting to spill into our priorities. And it’s easy to think, ‘Okay, I don’t have any power here.’ But in reality, if something is impacting you, there’s got to be power somewhere. So then the question becomes, ‘Where can I impact change despite everything that is happening at the federal level?’” You can read more about Roxana’s experience with the ALA in this case study.
Shalonda Curtis-Hackett, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. “Normally impacted voices are treated like a token in these policy discussions but with the ALA timelines and frameworks that I learned, I was able to help impacted folks take on more leadership…I’ve been able to get more impacted folks into legislator meetings; I’ve been able to create diagrams about different legislators and their committees, and people trusted me when I gave them these diagrams and information because I’m a fellow impacted parent.” Learn more about Shalonda’s time in the ALA in this case study.
Lukee Forbes, We Are Revolutionary. “As a participant in the Advocacy Institute, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from seasoned activists and share space with other passionate individuals. Through the Institute, I have gained invaluable tools, resources, and concepts that have helped me approach social issues in a more effective manner, and I have built meaningful relationships with people across the state.”
Janet Rolon Fry, Community Resource Center. “During this journey, I was honored to meet extraordinary human beings fully committed to social justice and changing the status quo. Every session provided a wealth of knowledge, activities, and resources. We were given opportunities to learn from one another, ask questions about campaign strategies, and share best practices. The network and relationships built go far beyond the end of the program. The Advocacy Institute team was always there to support us in our learning and connect us with one another. They listened to and engaged with us to make our learning experience inspiring and unforgettable. I’m grateful to the Advocacy Institute team for allowing me to grow, become more skillful in advocacy, and ensure that our work is worth doing.”
You will be expected to attend 80% of all session dates (allowed to miss 3 sessions) to meet program graduation requirements. Please let us know in your application form if there’s anything that would support you to be able to fully participate. We will cover meals, travel and lodging for the in-person retreats.
Applications are now closed.
Please contact hello@advocacy-institute.org with any questions.
There is no charge to participate in the program this year. However, participants’ organizations will need to be Advocacy Institute members or join before the program starts.
Your organization does not need to be an Advocacy Institute member at the time of your application. However, once accepted, your organization must join as an Advocacy Institute member for you to participate in the program.
We will prioritize one person per organization, and will place additional people from the same organization on a waiting list. If there is space, we will accept two people from the same organization, especially if they work in different regions.
Yes. The Accelerator is designed for participants actively engaged in or planning a state-government-focused advocacy campaign in New York State in the 2025-2026 legislative cycle.
While some program materials are available in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and French for use in your organization, interpretation during retreats and virtual sessions will not be provided.
We understand that conflicts come up, and you will be allowed to miss a maximum of 3 virtual sessions to meet program graduation requirements. In-person retreat attendance is required, and your Executive Director’s attendance at the ED orientation is required.
The finalized location will be shared with participants as soon as it is confirmed. The retreat has previously been held in the Hudson Valley at Honor’s Haven and Stony Point Center. Participants will arrive for the retreat on Thursday, September 4 in the evening and depart on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
The closing retreat will be held in New York City on Friday, June 26 and Saturday June 27, 2024.
Advocacy Institute staff will arrange and pay for your travel to the retreat unless you plan on driving yourself there, in which case you will be reimbursed for mileage.
Because the goals of the program are both individual leadership development and organizational capacity building, we’re asking your listed organizational contact to attend the orientation for organizations. This will be a chance to think through how to support organizational growth and to network with peers. This person may be your supervisor, your boss’s boss, or the Executive Director.
We do not have the resources yet to provide childcare or subsidize child care costs for participants for ALA. We are looking into childcare options. Please let us know if childcare is a barrier to your participation.
Participants with disabilities may bring an aide to in-person retreats.
We prioritize gender neutral bathrooms at all retreat locations.
We will provide captions and recordings for all virtual sessions.
Please ask if there’s something specific you need that you don’t see addressed here by contacting ALA@advocacy-institute.org.
Unfortunately, Advocacy Institute is unable to provide accommodations for family members at the retreat locations, even at the participant’s expense. If you would like your family member to be nearby, you will need to arrange for their travel and lodging.
For the safety of all participants in the Accelerator program, we are requiring participants take daily rapid tests during in-person retreats (tests will be provided by the Advocacy Institute).
This video was recorded on June 5, 2025. Watch to hear more about program requirements, curriculum, and testimonies from ALA alumni.